Temple University Athletics
Temple University
Navy
Temple Football to Host 5-0 Navy in American Conference Contest on Homecoming
10.6.25 | Football
PHILADELPHIA - Temple will remain home this Saturday, October 11 for homecoming against the Navy Midshipmen. The American Conference bout will kickoff at 4:00 pm and will be broadcast on ESPN2. The game can be heard at OwlSports.com/Listen.Â
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LAST TIME OUT
Temple secured its third win of the season in an American Conference showdown with the UTSA Roadrunners 27-21. The Owls were down early in the game, 14-3 at the conclusion of the first half, but the Owls stormed back into the game. Temple won in come from behind fashion through all three phases of the game. Quarterback Evan Simon continued to shine in the new offense he's in. Simon consistently distributed the ball to his receivers, hitting seven different throughout the game. The redshirt senior has proven that he will protect the football at all costs. Simon eclipsed 100-straight pass attempts without throwing an interception early in today's contest, and that fact remained true throughout the remainder of the game. Temple now sits as the only team in FBS football without turning the ball over in the 2025 season after Saturday's games. The Owls haven't thrown an interceptions or lost a fumble through the first five games of the season.
The Owls came out of halftime a different team. The Owls started the second half with a 10-play 75-yard drive to get back into the game. The drive featured flashes from Peter Clarke at tight end, but was capped with an eight-yard pass from Simon to wide receiver JoJo Bermudez to make it 14-10. The next drive of the game would change the remainder of the game. Owen McCown would commit the game's first turnover. A ball floated to the sideline would be jumped by Temple's Jamere Jones for his first interception of the season, and his first at the FBS level. One play later, the Owls would capture the lead. Temple's Hunter Smith would have a housecall touchdown from 54-yards out on the ground. Smith secured his second touchdown of the season on this run. The Roadrunners would respond on the next drive, however. UTSA marched down the field quickly and got the lead back off of an 18-yard score to make it 21-17 with 5:28 left in the third. Ater a few punts by both teams, Temple would take the lead back with just over a minute remaining in the third frame. Clarke found pay-dirt for his only score of the day and Simon's second touchdown pass of the day from 15-yards out. In the fourth quarter, Temple's defense stood tall at all levels. Safety Avery Powell would take away another crucial possession from UTSA via the interception. Defensive tackle Sultan Badmus got his hand up, tipping the ball into the air, and ultimately into Powell's arms. The Temple offense would stall on the next drive, leaving the defense to make another stop. The Owls sped up the clock for McCown on that drive, forcing the Roadrunners to turnover the ball on downs. Cam'Ron Stewart was the difference-maker as he forced the quick incompletion on the fourth-down play. The Owls would repeat this sequence with under two minutes in the game, but the final play was a sack by defensive tackle Demerick Morris.
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NAVY IN 2025
The undefeated Navy Midshipmen will be coming to Philadelphia sailing smoothly through the first chunk of the season. Navy's triple-option offense has put up at least 21 points in each game this season, scoring a season high 52 against VMI week one. Navy has three American Conference games under its belt, topping UAB, Tulsa, and Rice in back-to-back-to-back weeks. Week six was a true back-and-forth battle with fellow military academy Air Force. The Midshipmen and Falcons entered the fourth quarter tied at 24 points and would eventually end up tied again at 31 points with 10:59 left in the game. A 9-play 60-yard drive by Navy, however, would be the difference. The Midshipmen would get within field goal range and Nanthan Kirkwood handled the rest. The kicker connected from 34-yards out to put Navy on top by three. Quarterback Blake Horvath found a lot of success passing the ball in Saturday's win. The senior finished the day 20 of 26 for 339 yards and three touchdowns. Those scores included one that went for 80 yards and another for 60, both to Eli Heidenreich.Â
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SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 20th meeting between the two programs on Saturday. Navy holds a one game edge on the Owls as the series record sits 10-9 in favor of the Midshipmen. When the series has been in Philadelphia, Temple holds a 4-3 record. Of the seven games played in Philadelphia, five of them have been at Lincoln Financial Field, where Temple is 3-2 in those games, with the last win coming back in 2023 for Temple. Navy has won four of the last five games in the series. On homecoming, Temple has faced the Midshipmen once before. The meeting came back in October of 1991, when Temple topped Navy 21-14. The Owls have faced Navy five prior times in the month of October and have gone 3-2 in those meetings.
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UP NEXT
Temple will hit the road in week eight for a meeting with the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday, October 18. The time for the game has yet to be announced. The game can be heard on OwlSports.com/listen.
